Well
that’s just the point of Infographics. They provide instant, clear
understanding of information, data or knowledge very quickly and precisely. They
get to the point, cut to the chase and explain a topic in a nutshell. Imagery, charts
and minimal text is displayed in one condensed form of shapes, colour and patterns
in a highly visually attractive way. The main objective of Infographics is to
“present complex data in an easy-to-understand manner. This data presentation
is what defines an and sets it apart from another graphic or type
of visualisation.”

Whilst
these eye-catching information providers are taking the modern world and its
media by storm, they are far from new in their development. So where did they
come from? And why are they so popular?

Who
invented Infographics?

Arguably the first Infographics were around in
30.000BC as cave paintings depicting animals, local resources and how man
interacted and gathered these. They were visual representations of life presented
in an easy format. The Egyptians also recorded these life events in the same
way as hieroglyphics.

The modern start of Infographics really began in 1786
when William Playfair, who was an early innovator in statistical graphics,
published The Commercial and Political Atlas which contained many visual
displays such as bar charts, line graphs and histograms representing the UK
economy at the time.

A little later Florence Nightingale is known to have
used stacked bar and pie charts to present to Queen Victoria her findings in
the spread of infection and disease and the need to improve conditions in
military hospitals.

Fast forwarding to another key date, 1975* ‘the
father of visualisation’, Edward Tufte developed a seminar on statistical
graphics with a colleague and in 1982 self-published Visual Display, reinforcing
his standing as infographics expert. By the 20th century infographics
began to evolve into the design elements we use regularly today, first in print
and latterly in digital form as blogs on websites or on social media.

What’s
so good about Infographics?

Not only do they ‘tell a story’ but they make it
interesting, show where application is needed and are therefore useful in
growing a business. Top marketing influencer, Jeff Bullas explains the assets
of infographic displays in the following way; “It is an efficient way of
combining the best of text, images and design to represent complex data that
begs to be shared.” There are strengths in both mediums of text and graphics,
as well as limitations, but together they are highly effective and easier to
understand.

Some compelling reasons to consider Infographics for
your business:

They are compelling and attractive

They are easily scanned and viewed as the
brain receives 90% of all information visually.

They reach vast numbers of recipients
through sharing on social media

They provide global coverage that local
print media could never do

They are a powerful way to creating brand
awareness

They benefit Search Engine Optimisation

They can position your business as a
‘thought leader’ or expert in your field

What
makes a good infographic?

The Challenge lies in making your infographic stand
out from all the others, so it gets noticed and consequently read. Another key
objective is to ensure the balance of text and graphics is right. SEO expert, Neil
Patel has come up with some useful tips when it comes to creating
your own infographic design.

Have your target market in mind when you
decide on a subject for your infographic. What would they like to know?

Keep it simple. If you include too many graphs,
symbols, images and colours it could create visual overload for the reader.

Keep it focused. Stick to one topic, not
an amalgamation of everything you know about a subject.

Show things visually. There should be a
good mix of visual information with written information.

Promote it. You need to do the leg work
to get your infographic out there by requesting users and influential sources
to share it.

Make sure it’s easy to read. Sometimes
the legibility of the infographic is lost when it is resized, so pay attention
to the smaller fonts which can often become impossible to read.

Make sure the length & size is
manageable. (About 8,000 pixels)

Add white space. This is important in any
design feature.

Come up with a great headline, question
or statistic to grab attention.

Make sure the content flows through the
thought process and is not just a hotch potch conglomeration of information
thrown at the reader.

Check your facts and figures.

Cite your sources.

When
is it good to use Infographics?

Infographics differ in the way certain types of information
are presented visually. Its up to you to choose which option best presents the
information you wish to share.

Timelines
are
great for telling a story and the events that take place over time. As the
information flows in a single direction these are particularly straight forward
for readers to understand. Use timelines when explaining the history behind a particular
service or the evolutionary process of a product.

Data
Visualisations, such as pie charts, bar graphs or Venn
diagrams, are quite flexible and are useful for sharing dense information with
the audience more efficiently. The key is to choose the best method of
visualisation that best demonstrates the results of an analysis of data.

If you need to explain a complicated product or some
technical information, Anatomy breakdown
is helpful. Each element is presented in diagrammatical form and explained to
give insight into a ‘working’ whole.

Processes
and How-to’s are effective in sharing instructions
and are quickly understood if they are in simplified diagrams labelling each
step of the process. Take a look at the infographic “How
to Budget for a Trade Show” as a guide.

Comparison
Infographics provide a clear and creative way to weigh up the elements,
attributes or benefits between similar products, services or brands. Really
useful for Buyers Guides assisting your customers with making a choice of
product.

Lists
make
it easier for your audience to skim information quickly. The lists do not have
to follow a specific order unless the items on the list are evaluated against
certain criteria. Good for ‘quick tips’ and ‘top lists.’

When you need to present statistics, survey results
and other demographic data, Maps are
helpful in sharing information tied to geological locations and are not reliant
on your own information gathering due to the abundance of public studies and
surveys available.

Some
good suggestions how to get your infographic noticed.

The stakes are high and competition fierce when it
comes to getting your infographic in the limelight. Take notice of the best
advice from Industry experts summarised below:

Why not have your infographic printed on a roller
banner for maximum exposure at trade fairs, exhibitions, festivals and fetes
and musical concerts. You could even set one up in the reception of your hotel,
at the point of sale area of your store or in your car show room. They are highly
visible, easy to read and are just the right shape for the rectangular
infographics.

Check out the abundant choice of roller banner on offer online
or give the Roller Banners Team a call on (02380) 700111 to discuss your requirements
and design options.